It's been two weeks since the toxic train derailment in Ohio but Americans are still in fear of its cascading effects.

The direct reason for the derailment seems to be a mechanical failure. But the underlying causes remain unclear, with some media reports saying Norfolk Southern, the operating company, has long been under mismanagement.

The Washington Post reported in early 2020 that Norfolk Southern laid off over 3,500 employees in a year and quoted a manager as saying: "What three people used to do, one person is doing now."

Norfolk Southern was not alone. More than 20,000 rail workers have lost their jobs in 2019, the biggest layoffs in rail transport since the Great Recession, according to data from the U.S. Labor Department.

What's more, the report pointed out that the adoption of precision scheduled railroading (PSR) led to reduced inspections. PSR has long been criticized for safety concerns, as a Vice report in 2021 put it: "Freight rail is courting catastrophe."

Check out more tradeoffs the U.S. freight rail made for profit.

Despite the red flags for years, Norfolk Southern has been making a huge amount of money.

According to the company's own data, its revenue in 2022 reached $12.7 billion – the highest in the previous five years – showing that it has not only recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also achieved a new milestone.

The Ohio toxic train derailment happened just days after the company announced the 2022 results.

Similar derailments were also related to U.S. companies. According to data compiled by the New York Times, the number of derailed trains carrying hazardous materials has been increasing in recent decades, thanks to long-term lobbying by the rail industry that prevented American freights from getting stricter regulations and high-tech breaks.

The profit-centric management of the U.S. rail industry also led to worker strikes that Joe Biden used state power to intervene. The labor dispute was already fierce before COVID-19 and is evolving into a larger drama.

As many U.S. media said, it is about time the U.S. freight rail industry take a closer look at itself and figure out a way to make workers happy, and train cars safe.

(Chen Yurong contributed to the story)